Roll Call Tribute

Mark Stephen Boerger 

June 25, 1952 - October 4, 2024 

Mark Stephen Boerger was born in Wharton, Texas on June 25, 1952 to John Alfred and Margaret Cornelia (Arndt) Boerger. He was baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection and confirmed in the Faith at St. John Lutheran Church in Wharton, where his church family also included many of his extended family members. An athlete, musician, and dedicated student, he graduated from Wharton High School in 1970.

Mark attended Texas A&M University and later UT Medical Branch Galveston, where he trained to be a medical technologist. While in Galveston, he also got to know the family of Curtis and Ruth Doering, including their lovely daughter Carolyn. Mark and Carol married on January 3, 1976, and lived and worked in Denton (Flow Memorial Hospital), Madisonville (Madison County Medical Center), and Austin, Texas. They were blessed with two daughters: Elizabeth, born in Madisonville, and Mary, in Austin.

Mark worked as a med tech and then laboratory manager for most of his career. When he and Carol came to Austin, Mark was hired as the first lab manager for the brand-new South Austin Community Hospital, where he worked for almost twenty-five years. When he left hospital work, he stepped out in faith, earning a master’s degree in family life ministry at Concordia University Nebraska and then joining the staff at Bethany Lutheran Church, where he had already served for many years as a Bible study leader, choir member, elder, youth group dad, young adult group leader, and general friend to all.

Besides his official roles, he was also an avid hiker and outdoorsman, voracious reader, and amateur astronomer and photographer. He loved to serve and to share Christ with people in other cultures, participating in mission trips to Mexico with his brother Charles and later to Uganda, and also leading Bible studies with international students at the University of Texas. He also led Concordia Texas nursing students on several trips to west Texas, so that they could experience healthcare in a rural setting. With Carol, Mark traveled the world. They had many adventures together, in Alaskan fjords and Caribbean beaches, in European canals and Chinese metropolises. Wherever he went, and whatever he did, he had a smile and a “howdy” for everyone. Through it all, he was a kind man and confidant to all who needed a listening ear or a dad hug.

Nothing was more important to Mark than his Savior, Jesus. The truth of the Gospel grounded him through all the days of his life–the words of Scripture woven through every peaceful morning. He always encouraged those around him, reminding them of God’s love for them in his quiet way, and he is now resting in that love with Jesus, awaiting the day of Resurrection. Mark was called home on October 4, 2024, after a brief stay in the hospital. He was surrounded by family, who sang and prayed with him as he left this life.

Mark is survived by his loving wife, Carol; his daughter Elizabeth Bernhardt, and her husband, Christopher, and son, Barrett; and by his daughter Mary Suelzle, her husband, Dan, and their children, Norah, Ephraim, Miriam, and Adelaide. He is also survived by siblings Charles Boerger and Marilyn Goebel, and by many in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 8:00 PM on Sunday, October 13, 2024, at Harrell Funeral Home of Austin. A funeral service will be held 10:00 AM Monday, October 14, 2024, at Bethany Lutheran Church, 3701 W. Slaughter Lane, Austin, Texas. A reception with the family will follow the service at the church.

A graveside service will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday, October 14, 2024, at Live Oak Cemetery, Manchaca, Texas.